1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an energy-saving control interface and method for power-on identification, which enable a computer to utilize the standby power for performing an identification process to power on the computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, a computer device is always installed with a power supply for providing the working power thereto. The conventional power supply is made by a well-known switching power technique to have the advantages of high efficiency and light weight. Such a power supply is also known as a switching power supply. However, because of the advances in computer technology, a new generation of power supply, known as ATX power supply, has been in widely spread use to meet the requirements of remote control and power management. In addition to being turned on and off by receiving signals, such a power supply is characterized in providing a standby power (5V power with a current of approximately 0.7 amps) when the power supply is off. The standby power is provided to supply power, when the computer is powered off, to various components in the computer, such as the internal modem, network card or other interface cards, so as to remotely power on the computer via the modem, network card, etc. However, such a standby power can only supply a small amount of current, and thus it can not be used as a power source for other computer devices. Accordingly, there is a serious limitation in the application of the standby power.
If it is desired to use a fingerprint identification device or the like to control the power-on operation of the computer, it would be difficult to integrate the device with the computer as the standby power of the computer is too small to drive the device to work. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to control a device integrated with the computer by the low-current standby power.
The object of the present invention is to provide an energy-saving control interface and method for power-on identification, which enable a computer to utilize the standby power for performing an identification process to power on the computer.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the energy-saving control method of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) providing a sensing/scanning circuit for obtaining identification data; (b) providing an output interface for receiving and storing the identification data from the sensing/scanning circuit, and providing a clock signal; (c) providing a security control unit for receiving the identification data from the output interface to compare with pre-stored identification data and selectively send out a correct confirmation signal and an incorrect confirmation signal; (d) providing a control interface for receiving the clock signal from the output interface to determine whether to supply power to the security control interface; (e) providing a power supply which is triggered to supply power by receiving the correct confirmation signal from the security control unit; (f) activating a switch to supply power to the output interface; (g) supplying power to the sensing/scanning circuit for a time duration determined by a timer after the output interface is powered on; and (h) supplying power to the security control unit when the timer reaches its count, and, when the security control unit has sent the confirmation signal, the output interface and security control unit are powered off immediately.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the energy-saving control interface for power-on identification has a feature input device, a first switch, a second switch, a security control unit, a control interface, and a power supply. The feature input device has a sensing/scanning circuit and an output interface. The output interface has a data memory for storing data obtained by the sensing/scanning circuit, and an interface controller for transmitting data and clock signals. The first switch is connected between the feature input device and a power input for being activated to start to sense and identify data. The second switch is connected between the sensing/scanning circuit and the first switch for powering off the sensing/scanning circuit when a timer has reached its count. The security control unit has a digital signal processor and a data memory pre-stored with identification data for comparing the data sent from the output interface with the pre-stored identification data, so as to selectively send out a correct confirmation signal or an incorrect confirmation signal. The control interface has a third switch which is turned on by the clock signal from the feature input, so as to control whether to supply power to the security control unit, wherein the security control unit is supplied with power immediately when the sensing/scanning circuit completes data identification. The power supply has an input connected with a fourth switch controlled by the confirmation signal from the security control unit, such that the security control unit determines whether to activate the power supply. Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.